Members of the Taiwanese-Canadian community are endorsing Proportional Representation for the 2018 Referendum on Electoral Reform because they have witnessed first-hand how it drastically improved Taiwan’s democracy. Taiwan’s legislature is currently elected with a mixed-member proportional system.

Mark Twain said, “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” The true essence of democracy is participation of all. We should be encouraging people to express and share their ideas on moving our society forward; our current First-Past-The-Post voting system has repeatedly ignored the changes some citizens are seeking. Moreover, many young people would be more willing to participate in the democratic system if they knew their efforts, if proven to be substantial (5%), would be represented at the end of the election. This is definitely the case in Taiwan’s legislature; an elected small party can often keep the major parties honest and allow fresh approaches to be heard.

We are confident that the values of extremists wouldn’t be embraced by most British Columbians; therefore, it would be unlikely for them to form any influence to curtail our current progress as a society. At the end, any extremist forces, even if elected, would still need the support of a major party to deliver anything significant in the legislature. We are certain that none of the major parties currently in BC are about to collaborate with an extremist group.

Ultimately, Taiwanese-Canadians support democracy for all and feel strongly that every British Columbian’s voice is equal.

Co-Signed by:

Carol Pan, President of Greater Vancouver Taiwanese Canadian Association